The Future of Mickey

Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror

So in that new FORTUNE interview with Bob Iger, he mentions, and not in brief, that Mickey's future, his profile and personality, are being rexamined, specifically (but probably not exclusively) in conversations with John Lasseter. He called those conversations "interesting" and commented:

"If you read about Walt and his history with Mickey, he struggled with the same stuff in the 1930s - that Mickey had become too sanitized. You're talking about an unbelievable franchise in the billions of dollars for a character that is 80 years old. But we'd like to grow it."

While his articulation of the issue is kind of clinical and feels financially driven, what I appreciate is that he gets the very real, core issue with Mickey - his potential has been hampered - even neutered - by his celebrity.

I'm hoping that something more daring than a "THREE MUSKETEERS" will happen with Mickey, and what's wonderful is, we have the animators and the visionaries to bring him BACK to his roots, while helping redefine him for the future.

Mickey can have all the charm he currently owns - but he could access so much more. He's kind of the animated Tom Hanks - and that's really the range he could have... it's been glimpsed now and again. I'd like to see Mickey given a lot more to do in films.

Anyone else feel similarly? Or even 180 degrees against?

 

Originally Posted By u k fan

I agree with everything you've said except the Tom Hanks thing because I actually like Mickey!!!

 

Originally Posted By mawnck

>>Anyone else feel similarly? Or even 180 degrees against?<<

First a cold chill gripped my heart as I read your post, but then I thought of "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater."

Could work, could be a disaster. It depends who gets to do it, how they do it, and whether they're allowed to do it. Guess we'll see.

 

Originally Posted By DAR

Well hopefully they should do something with him. After all it is his 80th birthday you think a little celebration would be nice.

 

Originally Posted By SBSBelle22

<<<First a cold chill gripped my heart as I read your post, but then I thought of "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater."

Could work, could be a disaster. It depends who gets to do it, how they do it, and whether they're allowed to do it. Guess we'll see.>>>

Yes

 

Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove

Funny...I'm listening to Neal Gabler's biography of Walt and today's disc (#10) discussed the sanitization of Mickey and the introduction of Donald.

Mickey, at first somewhat sadistic (playing pig teats and pulling cat tails to make music and tossing Minnie out of a plane and laughing about it) became kinder and gentler over the years, by necessity, according to Walt.

So, here comes Donald...a young man that could do voices was in the studio, someone flipped the switch to Walt's office, he heard the voice and voila! Donald Duck's voice was born. He became the catalyst for all that was fun and mischievous and naughty for the animators and they poured out the gags into this new character.

Mickey was now the hero and protector...Donald the antagonist.

Wonder why that has to change?

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

They really don't need to change Mickey, they just need to do something with him. When I was a kid, I knew that Mickey was great and the symbol of the company, but I had never really seen any of his shorts until I was older. I think the stuff that they're doing with House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse really helps with that, but the way they are protraying him really is about as exciting as a piece of plain Wonder bread. They don't really need to make any drastic changes to him, just take him back toward his roots a little.

The stuff they had him doing from the late 30's through the occasional appearances in the 80's seemed to work well. He was more of a background character for Donald, Goofy, and Pluto, but it was enough to keep him visible to the public eye. If they can put him in interesting situations, I have no doubt that he will be interesting. The stuff I've seen him in recently was really boring, but it would be boring no matter who was in it. It was just a dull story.

I also hope that this is a signal that they are trying to make more shorts. They really do add a lot to the movie experience, and makes it feel a lot more grand. It's also something that you probably wouldn't do at home, so it gets more people to the theaters, and really adds something to Disney as a brand, since they go above and beyond the call of duty. It allows the classic characters to do stuff in modern times (that whole "relevant" thing they love so much) and connect to modern audiences. It also helps train the next generation of animators and directors (like how they do it at Pixar) for larger projects. Making shorts really is a winning situation, no matter how you look at it.

 

Originally Posted By SBSBelle22

<<<I also hope that this is a signal that they are trying to make more shorts.>>>

Dear God, please!

 

Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove

<<Making shorts really is a winning situation, no matter how you look at it.>>

Amen, Ferret. Could you imagine a return to the days when they had a cartoon opening every movie? *sigh*

The Wonder bread comparison is fair. I just wouldn't want them to Donaldize him just for the sake of sexying him up, that's all.

I love the flat-out loopiness of the old time cartoons. Zany! Oh, "The Band Concert"... "The Wise Old Hen"...perfection. Check them out on YouTube if you'd like a trip back to happy town.

 

Originally Posted By SBSBelle22

I think we need a short where he sings his song again:

"I'm the guy they call little Mickey Mouse. Got a sweetie down in the chicken house. Neither fat nor skinny she's the horse's whinney, she's my little Minnie Mouse.

When it's feeding time for the animals
And they howl and growl like the cannibals I just turn my heel, to the hen house steal And you hear me sing this song

Oh, the old tom cat with his meow, meow, meow Old houn' dog with his bow, wow, wow The crows caw, caw, and the mule's hee-haw Gosh what a racket like an old buzz saw

I have listened to the Kookoo kook his koo-koo And I've heard the rooster cock his doodle doo doo With the cows and the chickens, all sound like the dickens
when I hear my little Minnie's yoo hoo..."

Heehee, I always did like that song

 

Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror

Frankly, I want Mickey to fly planes like a daredevil. I want him to be heroic. I want him to race cars. I want Mickey to be a "nice" superstar, who runs high on adrenaline. I want him to be Bruce Wayne without the brooding Alter Ego, but the penchant for adventure.

Maybe Indiana Jones is a better paradigm... nice guy Academic one week, punching out Nazis (or Commies) the next, and saving the world.

Mickey could be heroic and exciting again, and still retain his nice guy, aw-shucks appeal... It's not a stretch.

 

Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove

Oooh, BlueOhanaTerror...I think you're on to something. I like that very, very much. The Indiana Jones persona captures the appeal quite nicely.

 

Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan

I'd like to see new animated shorts with Mickey involved in some new situations. Getting "back to his roots" doesn't mean recreating his world circa 1930.

I think Mickey sort of lost his sense of humor over the years. It happens to icons, I guess. But what's been missing is that little bit of good-natured mischeif. There was a good dose of Charlie Chaplin-esque charm in the early Mickey Mouse, that mix of likeability and hijinx of a guy just tryin' to get by, and that's originally what made him connect with audiences.

It's not an easy task. Would audiences accept a Mickey Mouse that has a little bit of an edge, is a bit of a prankster, or even has a bit of a temper? Or would people see any of that as him being "too mean"? Can the character that has spent decades being the gentle "aw, shucks" guy, the most universally recognized corporate symbol on earth and the guy playing straight man to Donald, Goofy and Pluto's antics be reinvented at this late date?

It's a tough one. I hope it can be done. But it's a tough one.

 

Originally Posted By alexbook

Re: Heroic Mickey
Actually, I think "Three Musketeers" fits that concept pretty well. The problem there was poor execution.

 

Originally Posted By SBSBelle22

<<<Once again, the debate is kept going, not by us, but by Disney. Veddy interesting.>>>

Quite right, quite right!

Indy Mickey! *giggle* I LOOOOOOOOVE it!!!

 

Originally Posted By alexbook

<a href="http://ilearntechnology.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/picture-4.jpg" target="_blank">http://ilearntechnology.com/wo...re-4.jpg</a>

 

Originally Posted By WDWFreak92

Just wanted to interject here- I loved The Three Musketeers! It was great. Yeah, maybe they could've done better but it was still a great and it's one of my favorites!

AS far as the topic of Mickey's future goes... I absolutley love BlueOhanaTerror's way of putting it.

 

Originally Posted By u k fan

Wasn't there talk of some kind of Mickey adventurer series in the vein of Indy a while back?

I can't remember if it was to be a TV show or comics, but I'm sure I read about it somewhere.

He did have a slight edge in Runaway Brain so that was a step in the right direction!!!

 

Originally Posted By mawnck

Giving Mickey an "edge" and making him more interesting are two different and mutually exclusive things. The last ting we need is some deluded exec deciding that Mickey needs to be more "Family Guy." Hopefully they will turn him over to people who understand that.

 

Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove

Cute, alexbook, ever the resource!